RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WJCL) - Richmond Hill crews are ready to take two historic live oak trees down and city officials say it's for safety reasons. The two live oak trees are located next to the intersection of Highway 144 and U.S. 17 and will be taken down on Monday morning.

"It's a terrible decision. I liken it to having to put down a family pet as something you know has got to happen but that doesn't make it very easy," said Richmond Hill City Council Member Russ Carpenter.

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City officials say the trees are decaying and the trees must come down before their limbs possibly fall off and hurt someone.

"We made what efforts could be done to improve their health, it didn't happen and we are left with dying trees that are now a hazard to motorists and citizens," Council Member Carpenter said.

City officials say the decay was caused when state workers widened Highway 144 in 2013. Now, local residents say these historic trees will be missed.

"I think everyone in this town is going to feel a sense of loss with it. We see these trees every day, day in and day out and people come by and remark how big and beautiful they are," said Sara Maltby, who lives in Richmond Hill.

But they also say that taking them down is the right choice.

I do believe they should simply because they have created this turn lane we've watched the trees get sicker so they've caused it but yes they do need to come down," Maltby said.

"It's for safety reasons so in my opinion it's a great cause all the way around," said Richmond Hill resident Richard Richardson.

City officials plan to make the intersection of Highway 144 and U.S. 17 more beautiful, adding plants to its four corners and getting rid of the overhead power lines. City officials say their arborists tell them not to plant any more oak trees next to the intersection because they will not be able to survive in this area.

"We can't get back what we have here. There's no way but what we're trying to do is put back something that we can all be proud of from a four corners standpoint from landscape material and just a gateway into the city," said Scott Allison, the Richmond Hill Assistant City Manager.